Wanted to let my supporters know how things are going so far this year. The Eagleman event is just 3 weeks away and I have never been better prepared for an event than I am today. The fundraising has gone well this year, however my deadline of 5/27/11 is fast approaching and i still need just over $300 to meet my goal for the first event. My fundraising will continue and I ask everyone to pass this on to your friends and family and together we can find a cure and make a difference.
My plan for this year is still on the road to these three main events Eagleman Half Ironman June 12, 2011, Nation’s Triathlon September 11, 2011, Sea Gull Century Ride October 15, 2011. These events are being with Team In Training program. There will be one additional thing added to my race uniforms and that is a pink ribbon for breast cancer. My mother was diagnosed in December 2010 with stage 1 breast cancer and even though the doctors believe that they got it all I will run in her honor. My Honored TNT teammate is Eva Paxton and she will be running the Eagleman Half Ironman. She is a twenty year old that was diagnosed in late last year with lymphoma and yet she will be training to complete a 1.2 Mile Swim, 56 Mile Bike, 13.1 Mile Run.While Eva has had set backs she is still planning to be in the Eagleman event.
Many of us know somebody who is a survivor of cancer or lost their lives to the disease. Unfortunately for meleukemia and struck my family not once or twice but three times. My grandmother Lilly Lewis, my father George Lewis, and my uncle Dave Lewis were all diagnosed with leukemia. Uncle Dave is a survivor and were all very grateful that the technology available to help him overcome this disease.
Some may ask why run a triathlon when you already know you can run a marathon? Why do I continue to run these endurance events? When a patient is diagnosed with leukemia they don’t always get the type of cancer they can beat. Most of the survivors that I’ve spoken with have gone through multiple types of therapies ranging from radiation, blood transfusions to bone marrow transplants. When looking at my life today and the challenge of a triathlon I said this is what I have to do. My training has been exceptionally hard learning to swim and cycle competitively which is something that I’ve never done. Completing the swim, the bike, and the run in the allotted time frame will be like getting a clean bill of health from the doctor. It takes years of treatments to beat cancer and I will continue to train to run these events for as long as I can or there is a cure found.
I need everyone to become a supporter in this effort to complete the events listed above and help raise money for cancer research so that others will not have to suffer like those I’ve written about in this letter. The Leukemia Society uses your money to help fund the research to find a cure for these blood cancers. Your money also helps to fund the support groups they need not just for the patients but also for their families. Too many times we focus so much on what can we do for the patient and forget about their families and the struggles they’re going through at the same time. So become a star on my team by donating $25 to the Leukemia Society and its help find a cure for the future.
Finally, my goal this year is to raise over $10,000.00. Photos of my training will be posted on my Road to Becoming an Ironman where you can follow my training and leave encouraging messages. You can make your donation on a secured site at My Fundraising Page.
Thank you,
Brian Lewis